In Deep $#!%. BlackBerry & Pakistan: A Nightmare!

I'm new to this forum, so please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Farrukh and I pen this thread in Pakistan. As many of you might have known, Facebook planned to host this "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day" on 20th of May 2010. At that day, a high court ruling blocked the website alone with Wikipedia, YouTube and Twitter (for no good reason whatsoever). Among the unfortunates was also the BIS. Seemingly the nincompoops over here could not figure a way of stopping the masses from visiting the page on Facebook (as there existed no protocol to accomplish this filtering on BB), they decided to pull the plug on it completely.

But after just ten days, all the three mentioned websites were restored, although one could tell that some pages were restricted for good. But only chat and email services were restored on BB. Among the things restored were WAP browsing capabilities on BB, third-party applications, chat services, BBM, messengers and push email. Among the things still banned were MDS Browser, RIM's proprietary (BlackBerry native) first-party applications like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Flickr etc that continue to remain all banned to this day. Despite this, now BIS rental was lowered by any telecom company over here.

I approached my respective telecom service provider and they said that they are good to go BUT since these instructions emanated from PTA (the telecom regulatory body over here), they could not move forward until and unless a notification was issued by them. They also said that since selective browsing was not possible on BB, they were completely dependent on RIM for this matter. When I contacted PTA, they confirmed having directing the telco to place the ban but said that they did so because of that court ruling. They also said that they were, along with the telco players, pushing RIM to filter the so-termed profane and blasphemous content on BB devices in Pakistan. The PTA would give misleading statements. In one mail, they even shrugged everything off their shoulders and said that "they had no objection in the restoration on BIS provided that telco did something on their selves and managed to block the offensive content deemed questionable on religious grounds". So they completely shifted the blame and responsibility on the telco shoulders, who as I said earlier, have to look up to the PTA for their every squeak, cry and whistle.

The telco in the meanwhile would issue confusing and misleading statements themselves like "we are developing our own filtering solution in house" or "the services would be restored in a month max" or "PTA has given the deadline of Dec-2010 (long-gone) restoration" and so on and so forth. The max they would do is recommend some replacements like Snaptu for Facebook, Bolt or Opera for the BlackBerry browser. And that's that. Nothing more. Not any telecom company even bothered to lower the rates even slightly for the lost services or inaccessible apps on BB.

I even wrote a letter to the court responsible for the original ruling but no use. Called RIM Canada but no use as they expressed their 'inability' to do anything in this regard. PTA won't even bother replying to my emails now. Telco would say the same $#!% every time. "Sir it would happen very soon", "Sir, you'll get a confirmation sms as soon as the services get restored", "Sir, we don't have a definite time-line but we assure you that we are working on that". I am sick to death tired of all this bull-crap. BS nation run by BS politicians and extremist nuts who don't know a SH.

Then happened the Indonesian incident. I communicated to every party, from PTA to telco, about the existence of this content-filtering solution. I persuaded them that since it was something that was newly-developed by RIM, it would take care of the issue of costs and feasibility of developing it in-house by telco. All they have to do is secure a version or copy of the very same software implemented in Indonesia and implement here in Pakistan. But again, PTA won't reply and telco would say (telco: telecom companies) that they are looking into it and some are as stubborn that they would find new excuses that not all softwares or programs can be implemented and other issues have to be considered as well like service pacts, server patches etc.

I am so damn fed-up of doing all this much alone that I am deciding to give up. But as one last try, I would like to seek your advice. What should I do? How do I get to contact RIM and convince them at least for this continued victimization and injustice directed towards the BlackBerry community? Can you spread the word for me at least? Defame the PTA and telco here in Pakistan as much as you'd like! They deserve every bit of it. But in the meanwhile, does that mean that the road ends for BIS and BlackBerry for so many BB fans and aficionados over here in Pakistan?... You tell.

I feel your pain, BUT ... this can only be satisfied by your local gov't officials and/or the PTA. The answer is exactly the same for every known nation, since they control the laws that dicate what equipment and telecom companies can do.

So, the only advice is to contact your local elected government official.

Sounds like the PTA are a bunch of noobs. They have this software available to them to help them filter content, and instead of doing that or trying to reach an agreement with RIM, they decide to block it totally. Looks like the Pakistani government have an anti-RIM agenda, since they keep responding to you with this BS. I shall see about contacting the PTA myself. A UK person may be able to add an extra bit of whack to it. Also, try contacting prime ministers of other countries (such as the UK) to see if you can win their support.

An Anti-Social Behaviour Order or ASBO ... is a civil order made against a person who has been shown, on the balance of evidence, to have engaged in anti-social behaviour in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. ...

The orders restrict behaviour in some way, by prohibiting a return to a certain area or shop, or by restricting public behaviour such as swearing or drinking. ...

i think its sad that countries filter or put a stop to services that most other countries freely use or express themselves with. i think its sad how some people must hide behind a curtain that the leaders of a nation decide to put up because of religious beliefs or other political reasons.